Cover Story
The chameleon: King Vidor Award winner Alfred Molina opens up about his long career
You’d be forgiven for not knowing Alfred Molina is very British. After all, the veteran character actor has a way of disappearing into roles, hiding behind a penchant for various accents and an ability to play a wide array of ethnicities. He starred as Mexican muralist Diego Rivera opposite Salma Hayek’s Frida Kahlo in Frida…
Don’t put up a parking lot
“Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘Till it’s gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot” —”Big Yellow Taxi” This seems to be the plan of California State Parks’ proposed southern dune buggy entrance at Oso Flaco. Their proposal: 225 campsites, a “kids’ practice track” (whatever…
‘Captain Marvel’ puts women in the pilot seat
CAPTAIN MARVEL What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Bay, Downtown Center, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Co-writers and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Mississippi Grind) helm this new installation in the Marvel Universe. In 1995, former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot…
Oso Flaco Lake at risk
California State Parks has proposed a new southern dune buggy entrance to the off-highway recreational vehicle area at Oso Flaco Lake. This is a disastrous idea! It undermines multi-decade efforts of many people and groups, including the Nature Conservancy, the Land Conservancy of SLO County, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dedicated volunteers helped…
Bingeable: Happy!
When? 2017-18 What’s it rated? TV-MA Where’s it available? Netflix When it comes to television, there’s never been a better time to be a comic book fan. While splashy, big-budget movies get most of the attention, television and streaming services offer a cornucopia of content based on both well-loved and lesser-known superheroes. From Netflix’s stable…
Marijuana is not the same as grapes
The article “Community division, accusations imperil York Mountain medical marijuana project” (March 7) missed several important points about the appeal hearing and why the community opposes this project: 1. The vast majority of those who spoke in favor of the project were growers or other business owners who will benefit financially from the expansion of…
Film Listings, 3/14/19 – 3/21/19
ABOVE THE CLOUDS What’s it rated? Not rated What’s it worth? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre (3/14, at 4 p.m.; 3/15, at 10:30 a.m.; and 3/16, at 4:15 p.m.) New/Pick UK director Leon Chambers helms this charming coming-of-age comedy that centers on Charlie (Naomi Morris), an artistic and headstrong just-turned 18-year-old facing the…
Misguided fear
The current Republican Party is trying an old scare tactic with voters: Claim that any new government-run social support program will lead to communism and dictatorship. They are then adding a new tactic on top of this: If we do enact any new social supports, we will end up like Venezuela. By using these tactics,…
Attorney with death penalty experience assigned to Heritage Ranch double murder case
NOTE: This story was updated March 14 to include a written statement from District Attorney Dan Dow. A SLO County defense attorney with experience in death penalty cases has been assigned to help represent a 31-year-old Paso Robles man accused of murdering his girlfriend and her unborn child. At a March 13 hearing, SLO County…
A terrible deal
The Green New Deal (GND) reminds me of the story about the lover forced to make a choice between three doors, one of which had the love of his life, the other two not so good choices, like a tiger waiting to pounce. In the case of the GND, all three doors have a tiger;…
Central Coast Aquarium and Morro Bay work toward a new aquarium
Several residents who spoke at the March 12 Morro Bay City Council meeting supported the Central Coast Aquarium’s (CCA) proposal to work with the city to create a new aquarium on the Embarcadero. Leah Heidt, who teaches biology at Morro Bay High School, told City Councilmembers that she takes her biology class to the beach…
Pushy pushy
Hey guys, guess what? I’m extremely pushy and I tend to get my way. I’m a bulldog, OK. I’m a GOD DAMN bulldog. So take that and stick it in your off-highway vehicle hating pipe; breathe in that sweet, sweet PM-10 polluted air; and stuff your “stipulated air pollution abatement measures” right up your everlovin’…
SLO County raises developer fees to help fund affordable housing
In what’s expected to be a temporary move, San Luis Obispo County supervisors voted on March 12 to raise the fees charged to developers of market-rate homes in order to boost the county’s low-income housing coffers. The new inclusionary housing fees—supported by local building groups, housing advocates, and economic leaders—are expected to raise $1 million…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our March 7 news story, “Community division, accusations imperil York Mountain medical marijuana project.”
First pride celebration is coming to 5 Cities
A local organization is creating a Pride festival in the Five Cities area and a community for LGBTQ-plus youth. Established in 2016, 5 Cities Hope is a nonprofit that provides an inclusive environment for the LGBTQ-plus community—including youth, allies, and people of all ages and backgrounds—to connect. The nonprofit has been working with the community…
Hot Club of Cowtown and Dustbowl Revival team up at the Fremont to celebrate The Band on March 20
“Standin’ by your window in pain/ A pistol in your hand/ And I beg you, dear Molly, girl/ Try and understand your man the best you can,” Robbie Robertson sang on “Across the Great Divide,” the lead track to The Band’s classic 1969 self-titled second album. Selections from that album as well as The Band’s…
Carpenters’ union sues SLO over Tank Farm project
A carpenters’ union and one of its local members is taking the city of San Luis Obispo to court in an apparent dispute over the city’s environmental review of a 249-apartment project. On Feb. 5, the SLO City Council approved plans for the mixed-use development submitted by Bakersfield-based Agera Grove Investments LLC at 650 Tank…
Kitchen comeback: The Wellness Kitchen in Templeton is back up and running
Celebrate Check out the Wellness Kitchen’s new-old digs in Templeton at 1255 Las Tablas Road in Templeton. Visit thewkrc.org to learn more. Cinnamon was all I could think about after I walked through the door of the Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center in Templeton on March 8. It tickled my nostrils. The comfort of cooking…
Lawsuit claims Lucia Mar knew a wrestling coach was harassing his female team
A student and her guardian claim that Lucia Mar Unified School District knew that its girls’ wrestling coach had sexually harassed his team members. The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 28 against Lucia Mar Unified School District and Justin Magdaleno, alleges that the district knew Magdaleno exhibited a pattern of physically abusing and harassing members of…
Stay green
Plant fresh: Get water wise with your garden this year by attending the Vegetables in Drought: Water-Wise Veggie Gardening workshop at the SLO Botanical Garden on April 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. A UC Master Gardener will share tips for growing delicious vegetables without breaking the bank on the water bill. You can learn…
Paso Robles groundwater committee seeks public input on supply projects, pumping fees
North County political leaders responsible for the health of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin are launching discussions about which multi-million-dollar water projects could help solve the aquifer’s woes—and how basin pumpers will pay for them. In the future, the basin, which serves much of Paso Robles wine country, could start receiving water from the State…
Purple jewel
Last year was a tough one in my garden. I fought gophers, and the gophers won. Things started out well enough. Raised planter boxes already existed at the house I had just moved to, so I decided to use them, carefully cultivating little seeds into seedlings before transplanting them into these boxes that I didn’t…
Dina Mande’s new documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at Tin City in Paso Robles
Show times The SLO International Film Festival presents the world premiere of Tin City at 7 p.m. on March 14 at the Fremont Theater. The film also screens at 7 p.m. on March 15 and at 1 p.m. on March 17 at Park Cinemas in Paso Robles. Visit slofilmfest.org for more info. “It’s always been…
Proposed plans for the southern end of the Oceano Dunes have environmentalists up in arms
Although eight projects are currently proposed for Pismo State Beach and the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, only one is stirring up trouble with the Central Coast’s environmental community: a campground and southern access point near Oso Flaco Lake. “This area chosen by State Parks for this development may be the worst spot they…
Local author sets modern migration tale on the Central Coast
Read on The Luminous Fish by Paso Robles author Randolph Rogers is available on Amazon in paperback for $16.95 and on Kindle for $2.99. It wasn’t his kind of story. Paso Robles-based author Randolph Rogers is really more of a mystery guy. Still, for six months the story just wouldn’t go away, so Rogers fleshed…
From the Roots Up Healing Services teaches self-defense and confidence to females in the community
It’s Thursday, Feb. 28, and Krista Rooney is setting up her equipment for her 3:15 p.m. class. She is the owner of From the Roots Up Healing Services and teaches kickboxing, but the class is more than just learning how to kick and punch. She teaches this form of martial arts with a purpose that’s…
Iliza Schlesinger to perform at the PAC
Cal Poly Arts presents touring comedian Iliza Schlesinger on Friday, April 5, at 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in SLO. The performance is part of Schlesinger’s Elder Millennial tour. Schlesinger is best known for her Netflix specials, which include War Paint, Freezing Hot, and Confirmed Kills. The popular comedian is also known for…
Morro Bay High School presents Mamma Mia!
Morro Bay High School Drama presents its production of Mamma Mia! March 15 through 23. Performances take place in the school’s cafeteria at 7 p.m. on Fridays, and at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and on Sunday, March 17. This hit musical, with songs by ABBA, centers on Sophie Sheridan, a 20-year-old in search of her…
More than Grover Beach
I feel compelled to respond to the article “Grover Beach could have its first affordable housing project” published in the March 7 New Times. In it, the author described the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition’s proposal to significantly expand homeless services at the Hillside Church including a warming center, youth dormitory housing, and affordable housing and…
Art Central holds seascapes workshop
Artist Harwood Benton hosts a watercolor painting class on Saturday, March 23, and Thursday, March 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, at Art Central in SLO. Participants will start from a blank page and learn how to paint a watercolor seascape from start to finish. No prior painting experience is necessary. Paper…
